Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise YHWH: “YHWH looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” So the name of YHWH will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the people and the kingdoms assemble to worship YHWH. — Psalm 102:18-2

Friday.

Last workday at SOS.

Last devotion day at SOS.

Last evening chapel at SOS.

Workday

We wrapped up the main work on Ms. Hanh’s house.  It was emotional from the standpoint that we were done with our week, and that SOS was done with their eight weeks.  Ms. Hanh was emotional all day.  We were to.  God had moved in our lives through the example of Ms. Hanh.

We learned how to work like it wasn’t about us.

Devos

In Friday’s devotions we talked about doing the work of God at all costs.  We explored the example of Brother Yun.  He’s a believer in China who has on multiple occasions been arrested only to have God miraculously open the door of the prison.  He walked out.

We also talked about Jim Elliot.  Jim Elliot once wrote in his journal: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot loose.”  We talked about giving our all.  Total surrender of our lives to the work of God.  It’s not about us.

Philippians 3:7-10 (NIV) states: “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.  What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ–the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.“

It’s not about us.

It’s about relationship with God.

Chapel

In Chapel, Kyle Storey talked to us about our response to God’s promises.  How do we respond to a relational God?

Kyle presented us with two responses.

First, “The Nation’s Mandate”.  Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV): “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.“

Second, “The Social Mandate”.  Isaiah 58:6-8 (NIV): “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?  Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter–when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?  Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of YHWH will be your rear guard.“

It’s not about you.

It’s not about me.

It’s about making the name of YHWH known in the world, so that a generation yet to be created might praise the name of YHWH.

A quick history.  Neill Loxingly (Neal Locke in real life) and I went to ORU together.  We caught back up after a few years of not communicating on Facebook.  About a year ago, he began leading 1PCSL meetings in Second Life.  I kept thinking that one day I’d show up, but never did.  Finally, a few months ago, I was able to make a service.  While I miss from time-to-time, I tend to hit more than miss.  It’s a great experience.  Through that group, I’ve become acquainted with other folks in real life, that I would not have otherwise met, and Neill/Neal and I have been able to renew an old friendship.

What a great experience!  (I’ve even been able to partake in a small group discussion with PC-USA Moderator, Bruce Reyes-Chow!)

Neal, thanks to you and Menchor for the vision and to all of my 1PCSL family, Thanks for the fellowship, friendship, and showing me that online relationships can be just as real as offline relationships!

Blessings to you all!

For the past several weeks, I have been occasionally attending gatherings in Second Life (if you’re in Second Life, I am known as Miguelski Simsider).  These gatherings are hosted by Neill Loxingly (in real-life: Neal Locke) and the 1st Presbyterian Church of Second Life.  These gatherings take on two primary forms.  The first is a prayer gathering on Sundays, and the second is an informal discussion gathering on Wednesdays.  I have found these gatherings to be everything that you would expect them to be in real-life with the only real difference being that in Second Life, I have hair — for now.

At any rate, the discussion last night centered around the question of Who/What is God.  We discussed God in terms of time and space, omnipotence, omniscience, Trinity, and other constructs.  It was profoundly interesting.  I learned a lot.  Discussions like this serve to help me further understand God in terms of more than the abstract.  They help me to understand the relational God.

But that’s not the point of this post.

At one point in the discussion of all these various ideas about God (i.e. “Can God make a rock so heavy that God can’t lift it?” or “How do you reconcile omnipotence with free-will?”), one of the group threw out this gem: “For now we see through a glass, darkly”  (1 Corinthians 13:12, KJV).  That got me to thinking.

First, consider this translation (Contemporary English): “Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror.”  Interesting imagery.  The view that we have of God is, well, fuzzy and backwards.  But that’s another post.

But what really struck me — for the first time — was the overall context of the passage.  Paul is writing about love.  He’s telling the church at Corinth how to love and that love is the most important thing.  Yet, in the conclusion of this discussion, he throws out this idea that even though we try — feebly — to understand God and the ways of God, we will not be able to until we’re standing there face to face.  Let me point it out again, though, the context of that comment is in the middle of a lesson on LOVE.

It occurs to me that perhaps what Paul is saying is that it’s OK to wonder and seek to understand the higher concepts of God and who God is, but it is not OK to do so at the risk of losing site of love.  This goes deeper than how to conduct healthy debate on the matter.  Rather it seems to be saying that love is myriad of feelings and actions, and should serve to center our lives as Christ-Followers.

Anytime I think of what it means to be a Christ-Follower, I think of love.  Christ’s mission on earth was singular — love.  Christ’s mission given to us (His followers) is also singular — love.  I think we often miss that mark.  We take the mission of Christ and turn it into something akin to proselytization.  That’s so much easier than love.  Just force everyone to believe.  But that’s not what Christ has called us to do.

For me, the best definition of life as a Christ-Follower has always been Rich Mullins’ comment.  Consider this:

“Jesus said whatever you do to the least of these my brothers you’ve done it to me. And this is what I’ve come to think. That if I want to identify fully with Jesus Christ, who I claim to be my Savior and Lord, the best way that I can do that is to identify with the poor. This I know will go against the teachings of all the popular evangelical preachers. But they’re just wrong. They’re not bad, they’re just wrong. Christianity is not about building an absolutely secure little niche in the world where you can live with your perfect little wife and your perfect little children in a beautiful little house where you have no gays or minority groups anywhere near you. Christianity is about learning to love like Jesus loved and Jesus loved the poor and Jesus loved the broken.”

For now, we see but a backwards reflection of God.  Yet, still, we are called to love.  We are called to help.  We are called to be the hands of God in the world.  To affect radical, foundational change through the living out of our Faith.  Not to force people into our belief structure, but to show them, through love, that God exists, God cares, and God loves.